Peter Jones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Peter Jones - Essay Example Most people thus have a ready list of their most admired entrepreneurs. And to find out who are the most admired entrepreneurs, several business entities commission surveys to find out the most admired entrepreneurs list. Oprah Winfrey is perhaps today's most admired woman entrepreneur in the whole world. Forbes Magazine had listed her in 2006 as one of the richest people on earth with fortunes worth more than a billion (Haig 2006,p.155). She had also been touted as 'one of the most powerful celebrities in the United States" (Butler 2006,p.73). And yet, she has remained humble and compassionate, exerting great efforts in philanthropic works and influencing and affecting people all over the world with the inspirational and educational nature of her TV and movie shows. With all these, she had made a difference in the lives of people and this caused all the adulation and admiration heaped on her. She thus topped the list of About.com Readers' Most Admired Entrepreneur in America (Popula r Culture Association in the South 2007,p.75). In another recent survey of 1000 teenagers in America, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs edged out Oprah Winfrey and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg as the most admired entrepreneur in America. ... The rationale behind his selection was that Job "made a difference in or improved people's lives or made the world a better place" as well as because Jobs attained "success in multiple fields" (Thomson 2009, v3.co.uk) . In UK, in a poll held by the Scottish Institute of Enterprise and with 700 student entrepreneurs selected from among Scotland's 13 universities as respondents, Cobra Beer founder Karan Bilimoria came out the most admired toppling such heavyweight entrepreneurs as Richard Branson and Bill Gates. The usual reason behind the choice was that Bilimoria had "led by example and triumphed through his tenacity and strong belief in his vision". It was pointed out that Bilimoria "has had enormous success in building a business from scratch". The unexpected choice of Bilimoria had compelled Sharon Bamford, the Institute director to comment: "Vision is clearly an important quality in growing a business and is often linked with the entrepreneurial flair. However, good leaders exhibit a breadth of leadership qualities and Karan Bilimoria is a prime example of this" (Startups.co.uk). However top-notch UK entrepreneurs such as OgilvyMather managing director Guy Lambert professed that to them the mos t admired entrepreneur remains to be Richard Branson (Campaign News 2007, campaignlive.co.uk). In fact, when "other business people are asked to name the person they most admire", the oftentimes answer is Richard Branson (Bolton & Thompson 2004,p.132). Virgin founder Branson is no doubt an entrepreneurial legend and will leave this world a lasting3 legacy.